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Manannan
Manannan is a powerful and evil wizard of great age. The evil wizard had kidnapped Prince Alexander and kept him as a slave for seventeen years. Manannan is the brother of both Mordack, and the evil witch Hagatha (sometimes known as Dame Hagatha). Manannan is said to have kidnapped the infant Alexander in revenge for King Graham's rescue of Valanice from his sister.KQC2E, 484.Lizard (KQ3): "When he was a baby, he was stolen from his cradle one night by that awful wizard, Manannan, who brought him here and raised him. I hear he treats the boy terribly.", Bird (KQ3): "See that young fellow over there? When that old wizard, Manannan, kidnapped him, I heard tell his real parents were heartbroken over his loss." Background One day, when his first slave was 18 years old, he was caught in Manannan's secret magic lab, reading his spells. Fearing that the boy would use his own spells against him, he immediately killed him and picked another infant. To prevent this danger from happen again, by choice killed all of his servants as they reached age eighteen and picked another. Sometimes he was forced to shorten the cycle for some of the more precocious slaves. He even promised some of the slaves freedom if they followed orders, but his near perpetual anger and punishment of minor mistakes was enough that he never kept his promises. He despised ignorance in his slaves so he taught them how to read and write, but he would only bring them the books which felt there was no danger to him in the slave reading. He did not allow them to choose their own books out of his library. It was after one of these cycles that Manannan, decided to take revenge on King Graham of Daventry, for the king having rescued Valanice from his sister, Hagatha.The King's Quest Companion, 2nd Edition, 475, 484 Manannan cast a sleep spell on the family, one night, while they were on a picnic on shores of Lake Maylie. While they slept he kidnapped the baby prince Alexander from his cradle and returned to Llewdor (though some claim he kidnapped him his crib in the castle nursery)Lizards (KQ3): "When he was a baby, he was stolen from his cradle one night by that awful wizard, Manannan, who brought him here and raised him. I hear he treats the boy terribly.", Birds (KQ3): "See that young fellow over there? When that old wizard, Manannan, kidnapped him, I heard tell his real parents were heartbroken over his loss. ". He named the child Gwydion, and made him his slave for seventeen long years, intending to kill him on his eighteenth birthday (or earlier if Gwydion got into trouble)KQ3 Manual, pgNarrator (KQ3):"You take it with you, knowing it could mean death if he finds it missing."King's Quest Companion, Second Edition, pg 437KQ5 Manual, pgKQ6 Hintbook, pgKQ7 Hintbook, pgKQ8 Manual, pgNarrator About King's Quest I-V (KQ6):"Before his slaves were full-grown and could pose a threat to the wizard's dominance, Manannan ridded himself of each in turn. However, Manannan's most recent vassal, a boy he called Gwydion, was unusually bright and perceptive. He mastered several of the wizard's spells and and turned them against the tyrant to gain his freedom. Gwydion was, of course, the kidnapped Prince Alexander.". During this time, Manannan was not personally in control of the three-headed DragonKQC, pg, he enjoyed watching its path of destruction across the lands on its way to the Kingdom of Daventry from afar, because of his hate of humanity. However by kidnapping Alexander, Manannan made a terrible error. Manannan taught Gwydion to read and write, and by doing so led to his own downfall. Before Manannan could kill him, The prince was able to find the wizard's book of magic, The Sorcerery of Old, he learned several spells from the book, and cast a spell that turned Manannan into a cat. Gwydion was able to escape his clutches. It is the nature of the curse, that the victim is stuck in the form of the cat for the rest of their days. It is believes that the only one possibly capable of breaking the curse is the one who cast the spell in the first place. Following that point, Manannan apparently fled the house in his feline form, wandering the world until finally making the connection with his brother Mordack.KQC, 2nd Edition, pg 484, 485 Mordack then, captured the royal family in order to try to get Alexander to reverse the spell, but the poor Prince had no idea how he could do it. Graham encountered Manannan the cat in Mordack's castle and tied him inside a cloth sack.KQC2E, 485 When Manannan tried to get in his way; Graham distracted him with a fish so that he could capture him in the bag. Manannan was left behind in the castle after his brother's defeat, when Graham, his family, and Castle Daventry were joyously returned home.KQC2E, 485 He was never seen or heard from again and his fate remains unknown. It is quite possible that the sack is still there containing the remains of a cat. It is also possible that the cat, Manannan, was able to escape by clawing his way out. It is even possible that he has been able to affect a cure for his feline condition. And, if this is true, then Manannan may well be hiding someplace plotting his revenge.KQC2E, 485 The fact that nothing had been heard of either Hagatha or Mananann since Graham destroyed their brother Mordack is likely a bad sign.The King's Quest Companion, 2nd Edition, 475 History in the Other World On Earth, there are many stories about a most powerful weather wizard by the name of Manannan Mac Lir, after whom the Island of Man in the Irish Sea is named. It is said that Manannan had a magic horse that could travel easily accross both the land the waves, had a magic ship that could take him anywhere without the use of a sail or oar, raised storms at will, wore armor, which shone as bright as the sun and which could not be pierced, and possessed a cloak of invisibility-and these are just some of the wonders that surrounded him. It is also said that Manannan had a special fondness for the Irish. There are even stories that link Mananannan with a Welsh hero by the name of Gwydion. Curiously, he is said to be the most happy and generous of wizards who brought happiness to all around him. This is quite unlike Daventry's Manannan.King's Quest Companion, 2nd Edition, 485 Assuming they are the same being, something must have happened when he withdrew to Daventry that changed his personality. Notes *He had a frail appearance, as though his skin were made of bleached and weathered parchment. Manannan's impression of fragility lasted only until one looked into his coal-black eyes, which burned with a strange fire. Manannan had the custom of kidnapping infant boys (usually one year olds, though he occasionally takes younger babies) and training them as his slaves. He is the brother of Mordack, and Hagatha. For many years he reigned as the absolute ruler of the land of Llewdor, and under his leadership brigands, thieves and the like prospered. His pointed hat signifies his membership in the Magician's Guild. *The malevolent wizard Manannan, lived in a land far away from Daventry. Manannan kept a watchful eye upon the kingdoms of the world. With a sardonic grin he watched as the three-headed dragon rampaged its way towards Daventry. Manannan's hatred of mankind had intensified with his great age, and his coal-black eyes burned a strange reflection upon the glass of the crystal as he mirthfully watched another human swallowed whole by the vicious beast. Preferring his solitude, the powerful Manannan was only allowed to be observed by one servantboy, who maintained his house and performed all of his menial chores. Of course, Manannan could have conjured up spirits to do his dirty work, but he much preferred to see the toil and strain of a young mortal suffering under his thrall. Most would call it depravity, but it was fear that fueled the flames of Manannan's hatred of humanity, a fear instilled by a vision from his prophetic crystal ball. For within its walls of quartz had Manannan seen his own hideous destruction at the hands of a conquering hero. Time had wrought many changes, and with it much sorrow. The kingdom of Daventry was ravaged by the deplorable dragon, and the young Princess Rosella was abducted. The entire kingdom was overcome by the brutal onslaught of the beast, and though forewarned, found themselves helpless to defend against its supernatural strength. Much weeping and wailing was heard throughout the land. Even with its power of prophecy, the Magic Mirror could provide no answers, not even a clue, for some bearer of black magic had cast a cloud of darkness upon its face... And the wizard watched with eyes of venom...!KQ4 Manual *Mannanan kept a chicken pen stocked for his weekly chicken suppers.KQC3E, 92 His table manners were atrocious, slurping, grunting and picking his nose, he shoveled down his gullet anything that was put in front of him (if properly disguised as food).KQC3E, 103 *Manannan kept in his house a magical clock unlike any known in the world of Daventry. It was similar to an hourglass in that it would measure a certain short period of time and then begin again, then again and again and again, for as many times as one might count. The sorcerer kept the device as a curiosity, for it measured the passing of time on an interval unknown to human kind (created by another race, one that came before the humans or after, Manannan wasn't sure which). The clock could be used to measure Manannan's daily activities. Manannan was a man of extremely fixed and regular habits. His bath always took two measures of the odd time, his studies eighteen, and his sleep twenty-five--the same as his travels. He would rise at exactly the same time each day. Likewise, he would retire to bed each night at the same time, accompanied by the same three fingers of the same awful brandy that his taste favored. When Manannan slept, it was for precisely the same period of time, and when he traveled, he always returned at the same time. It was as if he were a clockwork person with gears that repeated himself eternally. This routine allowed Gwydion to keep track of when and how long he could avoid the wizard at any given time.KQC3E, 90-91 *Manannan was both evil and cruel. He kept a keen eye on the countryside of Llewdor by way of a looking glass he kept in the house's tower; and from there he could terrorize the people who lived in that country. *Manannan delighted in killing the boys who served him, and he killed them for various transgressions.KQC3E, 89 *Chores and punishments, work and sleep; this is all Manannan allowed Gwydion to know growing up. And reading; he allowed Gwydion to read books from his library, although he never allowed him to find them for himself. He believed reading kept Gwydion quiet and out of trouble when he wasn't doing anything useful. Most of the time Manannan had him working on chores. If Gwydion didn't get the job done quickly, he would point a finger of punishment at him. He always warned if Gwydion messed up chores once too often, it would be the last thing he ever did. He warned Gwydion if he ever tried to escape, he would be able to find him at once through his looking glass. His pentalty for such an act would be death, a prospect which he enjoyed thinking about. Death too was threatened if he ever caught Gwydion with in possession of his personal things, or in posession of anything that might have any magical use. He told Gwydion to, "Keep his hands clean and his pockets empty". Gwydion tried to obey Manannan as best as he could, but Manannan always found a petty mistake for which to exact punishment. In the final weeks of his captivity, Manannan was looking for excuses to terminate his existance.Often would Manannan speak how none of his prior boys, for whatever reasons, had survived past their eighteenth birtday. On some occasions he promised Alexander release when he turned that manful age. By his words and hateful look in his eyes Manannan took pleasure in his plan to kill Alexander on his birthday.KQC3E, 89 *His home in Llewdor was later occupied by Karlavaegen a few months after Alexander's escape. No one knew what became of Manannan after he was turned into a cat, and before he joined up with Mordack. He did not find any sign of Manannan when he moved into the house, it was totally deserted when he arrived in the house. There was no cat and no remains of a dead cat. It is probable that Manannan fled the house in his feline form, wandering the world until finally making the connection with his brother, and moved into his brother's castle. Manannan's house is from where Derek communicates with Earth via the Eye Between the Worlds. *If Alexander disobeyes Manannan six times (on minor offenses) Manannan will kill Alexander on the sixth time. If Manannan catches Alexander with forbidden contraband, being caught away from the house, moving the volume on the bookshelf leading to the laboratory or forgetting to lock the wand in the safe, he will kill Alexander on the spot. If Alexander takes too long to defeat Manannan, he will ultimately kill him as well (from running out of food). *Manannan has several punishments, including hanging Alexander from the ceiling so that that blood flows to his head, making him exercise uncontrollably for several minutes, turning him into a snail, and locking him in his bedroom. Behind the scenes Manannan was a Celtic god son of Lir and god of sea and weather. In KQ5 he is said to be the brother of Mordack. In the official King's Quest Collection trivia game, King's Questions, and King's Quest Companion, Hagatha is said to be his sister. Though this fact is not brought up in any of the manuals or the adventure games themselves. Other scattered clues in the 1st and 2nd Edition, may imply that he is the same sorcerer and enchanter seen in KQ1 and KQ2, which would further explain his reasons for kidnapping Alexander. Manannan can be described as a "magician", "wizard", "sorcerer", and an "enchanter" in KQ3 parser. Perhaps nodding back to parser choices in KQ1 and KQ2. Manannan is known for his imaginative non-traditional punishments for those slaves who disobey his orders. These include the slave being forced to exercise, being turned into a snail, and being hung from the kitchen ceiling so that blood flows to the slave's head, among others. If a major transgression is made he kills the disobedient slave with a bolt of lightning, which turns the victim into a pile of ash. Manannan will kill Gwydion if he takes long to escape or makes too many mistakes (i.e. doesn't change him into a cat or carries contraband magic ingredients). This is part of his habit of killing boys who are old enough to pose a threat to him. While Manannan (nor his brother) may not have directly controlled the dragon as stated in the Companion (in KQ3, it was implied that the dragon made its own decisions demanding Rosella specifically), the KQ4 manual prologue appears suggest he was behind its rampage on some level (perhaps having summoned it in the first place), and maintaining a watch over it. It's also implied that Manannan may have been behind the clouding of the magic mirror, it states that a bearer of black magic cast a spell on the mirror, but talks about Manannan throughout the entire prologue. Manannan (unofficial) Manannan has appeared in several fan fiction including games, see Manannan (unofficial) for more details. References Category:Wizards Category:sorcerers Category:enchanters Category:magicians Category:Legendary characters Category:Characters (KQ5) Category:Characters (KQ3) Category:Villains Category:King's Questions